'Dexter' strains to 'Remember the Monsters'

"I destroy everyone I love." — Dexter Morgan, "Dexter"

Series finales are tricky. More often than not, they leave fans grumbling. "Seinfeld" was one of the greatest sitcoms on TV, and the build up to its series finale was legendary. So was the finale — for all the wrong reasons. It was a confusing and disappointing hour that left people scratching their heads. The cast got a chance to sort of atone during season seven of Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," but still it seemed like an odd choice.

Then there's "LOST." Producers spent a lot of time protesting that the characters weren't dead and the island wasn't purgatory. After two confusing seasons to wrap it up, it turned out both of those things were true. And the final resolution was, again, confusing and disappointing.

The last few seasons of "Dexter" have been uneven at best. Knowing it was going to end, the eighth season held plenty of intrigue and promise. Most of that has been frittered away as the show languished in its final season. There were high points and moments of interest, but it almost seemed as though a show about a serial killer was trying to offer fans a fairytale ending.

I have long had mixed feelings about how the show should end. The wonder of "Dexter" is that it has made a monster of a man a compelling and somewhat likeable figure. But from a moral standpoint, it's hard to wish for a happy ending for someone who has murdered so many in such a brutal fashion. Does he even deserve a happy ending? Probably not.

Well those worried about the fairytale sign off need not fear after the finale. (Spoilers ahead). It was a dark, at times emotive and at times confusing hour that felt a bit off. Maybe after a long time of reflection we'll be able to appreciate it for what it was, but it felt a bit like a cheat.

The show has spent a lot of time building up Dexter Morgan's (Michael C. Hall) humanity. He has gone from someone pretending to live a real life to forming human attachment — something even Dr. Vogel (Charlotte Rampling) didn't believe was possible. In fact, his attachment to the special people in his life even trumped his urge to kill.

The high point in this was the end of last week's episode when Dexter decided he wanted to pursue his happy ending more than he wanted to kill. Instead, he turned his target over to his sister, Deb (Jennifer Carpenter), to be brought to justice through conventional means. But that turned out to be a mistake. It's fitting for a show as morally grey as "Dexter" that any attempt to do the right thing ends up being the wrong thing.

Deb was shot, the killer escaped, and Dexter was pulled right back into the battle. He ended up killing his target, but not before his happy ending faded from view and his sister paid the ultimate price. The most rewarding moments were the interactions between Dexter and Deb — both in the present and via flashbacks. He choice to end her life — she was brain dead and reliant on machines — was heartbreaking.

But the end was befuddling. He buried her at sea — just like he had so many of his victims — left his son in the charge of a killer, and faked his own death, all so he could live in isolation as a logger. It was shocking, but not in a good way. It was an ending, but it wasn't satisfying.

Even reading the rationale for the ending from the producers and writers didn't make it compelling. Somehow it seemed Dexter needed to face justice for his crimes. After eight years, the audience deserved that kind of closure. A self-imposed exile falls short of that mark.